President Bush had better be ready to deal, because there's no way his mammoth defense budget proposal is going to fly the way it's built.

First the good news: The White House at least has finally offered more transparency in its defense funding requests, which in the past were never part of the overall budget but were submitted through supplemental or emergency spending bills. Both Democrats and Republicans in Congress have called for precise details of where or how the money is being spent, so it's good to see this change in approach, at least.

Proposed defense spending is the primary ballast weighing down the $2.9 trillion budget, made more problematic with some deep cuts in popular domestic programs. Defense spending accounts for less than 4 percent of the the gross domestic product, the lowest percentage in decades. But some restraint is needed to convey to U.S. lenders that America is serious about battling the deficit.

Certainly defense spending should be strengthened in wartime, but this particular plan, including an addition of 92,000 troop positions, is troubling. It's difficult to imagine where the personnel will come from in the all-volunteer armed forces. Those worried that reactivation of the draft is imminent are justifiably anxious over this.

Beyond the numbers, what's needed are forces trained in counterinsurgency and counterterrorism tactics and an effective war plan to counter guerrillas and terrorists. An emphasis also must be placed on properly equipping our existing troops.

It would also bolster congressional confidence in the overall defense plan if the administration had formulated a more nuanced exit strategy, not one that regards overcoming chaos in Iraq as primarily a military challenge.

The proposal for a "surge" acknowledges few of the political realities faced by the struggling Iraqi government and does not adequately employ diplomatic tools to bring more stability to the region.

If the president hopes to make progress in his goal to reduce the deficit, a prudent balance between defense and domestic spending must be struck. The current deficit-whittling plan assumes uninterrupted economic growth and major cuts in entitlements like Medicare and Medicaid. And we all know how much Congress recoils at upsetting that applecart.

Bush is right in his determination to rein in deficit spending. Indeed, the conversation on the budget will be difficult. To make it work, all issues, including defense spending, must be considered.